Alligator River
The Alligator River, named for the large amount of alligators that once inhabited the area, is a nominally-uninhabited area in the central Broken Banks largely populated by the non-sentient gar. These giant, mutated alligators are terrifying in raw power and size, rivaling even the mighty deathclaw in their ferocity. While the gar are known for being incredibly dangerous, they do not go out of their way to expand their territory, in contrast to the other monsters of the Broken Banks. However, the Gar are incredibly territorial, especially when it comes to their breeding and nesting grounds. Background A common misconception is that, before the Great War, the Alligator River owed its name to the shape the river resembling the eponymous reptilian according to some people. However, it is named such largely because of the high number of Alligators along its banks. The population was such that a wildlife sanctuary was established in the Alligator River when toxic and nuclear contaminants were dumped in the area around the region prior to the Great War. By the time the bombs fell, the alligator population had already seen a fair number of mutations, from cancerous growths to beneficial mutations that soon became the building blocks of the modern gar. Of course, the Great War did not help at all. The waters of the Broken Banks were polluted with radiation and toxic sewage. Hurricane after radioactive hurricane battered the landscape, changing the alligators with each generation. The Alligator River would be an evolutionary biologist's best dream... combined with his worse nightmare. The alligator, a beast that had existed since the time of the dinosaurs, had finally gone the way of the dinosaurs. Today, Alligator River is one of the most rarely-tread areas in the Broken Banks. The territorial nature of the gar makes travel incredibly dangerous. The pre-war settlements that exist in the Alligator River Wildlife Preserve are ripe for the picking, leading many foolhardy scavengers to their deaths in search of untapped riches and supplies. Locations Buffalo City This former moonshine-running city was already on its way to becoming abandoned by the time the bombs fell. In 2043, the land was bought from the US government by Southeast Industries, a subsidiary of RobCo. Buffalo City was used as a dumping ground for radioactive materials and other waste Southeast Industries deemed safe. Everything was deemed safe, leading to environmental catastrophe in the region. Today, the background radiation in the city exceeds 5 rads per second to an unshielded individual. Areas near radioactive barrels will yield radiation in excess of 35+ rads per second, causing radiation burns on impact and death shortly thereafter if not immediately treated. However, given the gar population, death by radiation may as well be a mercy-kill. Buffalo City is a major nesting ground for gar. If not for the gar in the area, it would have been overrun by feral ghouls long ago, if not mirelurks or the various other abominations caused by radiation. Anyone brave enough to risk the radiation and the gar, however, may be rewarded. A number of high-tech weapons, such as gamma rifles, fusion cores, gatling lasers and stealth boys can be found in Buffalo City. In addition, pink mentats (a unique brand of experimental mentats intended to boost one's ability to charm others and one's libido... in exchange for visual hallucinations) are located only in Buffalo City, making a trek to the city not without reward. One should definitely stock up on RadAway and Rad-X before entering Buffalo City. Gar Grove Scouts to the Alligator River have discovered what appears to be the primary nesting grounds for the area's gar. Hundreds, if not thousands of eggs are located in this irradiated, green grove. Guarding the eggs is a large population of gar. However, not even the massive number of mutant alligators can come close to the sheer terror one can behold in the deepest regions of the region... a massive, female gar. This gigantic gar, dubbed The Queen by most people in the Broken Banks, is little more than an urban legend in most circles. Many people attempt to travel to the Gar Grove to get a glimpse of The Queen. None have returned, adding to the mystery... and terror that is The Queen of the gar. Category:Broken Banks Category:North Carolina Category:Places